Animator Buck Woodall Sues Disney for Allegedly Copying ‘Moana and Moana 2’ Ideas: Details

With just over a week left until the Academy announces its 2025 Oscar nominees, Disney is facing a lawsuit for allegedly copying ideas for “Moana” and its recently released sequel.

Animator Buck Woodall, in a lawsuit filed on Friday, January 10 in federal court in California, accused Disney of breaking elements of the script he wrote for the animated film Bucky. He claims that his works, like the previously mentioned Disney films, are set against the backdrop of an ancient Polynesian village and follow teenagers who defy their parents by embarking on dangerous journeys to save their community, facing spirits that manifest as animals along the way.

Friday’s filing follows a November 2024 court ruling that shielded Disney from an identical copyright lawsuit brought by Woodall related to Moana because it filed the lawsuit too late. The release of Moana 2 over the holiday weekend allowed him to initiate ongoing legal action.

In this case, the court found that it was up to the jury to determine whether the works in question were actually identical if the statute of limitations had not occurred.

Moana 2, which could earn an Oscar nomination for best animated feature, debuted with $224.5 million. The original grossed at least $687 million worldwide.

Woodall is seeking damages equal to 2.5 percent of Moana’s gross revenues, or $10 billion, as well as a court order prohibiting further infringement of his copyrights.

Bucky’s script has been registered with the Writers Guild of America and is protected by the U.S. Copyright Office, which provides protection for the material.